SHERCO isn’t really a big deal in Australasia – especially in NZ - but travel halfway around the world and things look quite different. The French manufacture has recently garnered a new NZ distributor, so we expect to see more of these at a ride near you. I got my hands on the 2023 300 SE 2T and have jotted down a few things that I found during my time on the bike. But first, a brief history lesson.

SHERCO Background

The name, Sherco, derives from the amalgamation of two words, Bultaco and Sherpa, and that is a nod to the company's origins. The Barcelona factory, that was founded in 1998, specializes in their trials bikes, while the French factory, which was established in 2003, specializes in the rest of the range, to which includes Enduro, 50cc, street and E-Bike. Created out of his passion for moto trials, riders like Spaniard Albert Cabestany and perhaps more widely known Briton Graham Jarvis, joined the SHERCO racing family when it was only a Trials bike company, and it quickly developed a solid customer base.

Fast forward to 2023 and riders you might recognise who are currently racing would be Cody Webb, Wayde Young, Mario Roman, and of course, New Zealand’s own Hamish MacDonald. SHERCO is a huge player in the World Enduro GP and have taken many titles over the past decade, two of which MacDonald can claim. They also featured often on the Hard Enduro championship podium. So it’s clear the potential is there when it comes to the racing side of dirt biking, but how does that translate to your average, every-day trail rider?

The 300 SE is arguably the company’s flagship Hard Enduro machine. Designed (in my opinion) to tackle the tough terrain that NZ has to offer, and climb near on anything, just as well as your neighbour’s goat. It has a real racy, aggressive feel to the bike on how you sit on it and move around, while conversely feeling like it much prefers to go slow and navigate a cliff top, rather than go balls to the wall in a special test – it was an interesting tussle between both scenarios. After a day riding at the DirtWorks Compound, here are a few thoughts on a bike that I was super jacked to spin some laps on.

1. Same As 2022

This 2023 model remains unchanged from 2022, bar updated graphics. But don’t necessarily see that as a bad thing. It is a platform that is proven overseas and comes with a whole host of quality component standards. These include a radiator fan, the Selle Dalla Valle gripper seat, Brembo Brakes, hydraulic clutch, AXP Skid plate, FMF Expansion chamber, FES exhaust, and the all-important KYB suspension.

Having said that, you can now get a 2024 model which does have some updates that look like this:

2024 graphics kit

New led headlight
New front fender
New clutch cover
New swingarm
New frame paint
New wheels
New rear sprocket

If we manage to snag a 2024 model, we are going to champion for the 300 $T version. Let’s see what we can do there!

2. Suspension

Suspension is a tricky situation to assess. It will feel different for every rider depending on their weight, riding style, speed and line selection. I am sad to say that I recently tipped the 100kg scale, so there was every chance this 300 SE was going to be a little under-sprung for me- which turned out to be the case. Having said that, the Feedback from the KYB forks and shock was very consistent and about middle of the road for plushness. It was too soft at high speed for me and would use all the stroke, bottoming out in G-Outs and using all the travel out the front when braking hard coming down into rutted corners. The valving and progression through the travel did felt pretty good though, so some heavier springs would make a huge improvement for me.

The opposite was true when I started tackling the slow paced, steep and difficult terrain. The plush suspension allowed the SHERCO to really hook up and navigate over roots, logs, rocks and holes, no matter at what angle or degree of steepness.

I think these stock settings are best directed to the rider who wants to do serious trail riding. Think single track, hill climbing, difficult terrain – a real mix of everything. The likes of Berm Buster would be perfect with its balance of open flowing track to get that wind in the hair, and also plenty of Gold, Silver and Bronze off-shoots to utilise how good the engine is down low. And speaking of…

3. Engine

Much to the delight of many, SHERCO are sticking to their guns in the fuelling department with the classic Keihin PWK 36mm carburettor. The motor is a standout feature for a few reasons, mostly being how much torque and bottom end it produces, and how well it puts that to the dirt, via the smooth hydraulic clutch. It was incredibly evident when climbing steep hills, switching back and forth across the terrain and having to pivot turn on a dime. Single trail was great, and you have run the 300 and low revs and pull through the gears making the riding experience really tactile.

The engine does vibrate noticeably more than its European counterparts with the fuel injection, but it is not something that makes the riding experience unpleasant. It kinda takes you back to how 2-Strokes used to be. Something you will reminisce upon fondly, or maybe you won’t. The top end also feel like it keeps on pulling much further than you think it would before flattening out, meaning you can hold a gear longer, if that is the kind of aggressive riding you are looking for.

One area that this engine seemed to lack a little when at the sand compound was the power delivery between the bottom end and the mid-range. Coming out of corners, I would use that great bottom end to punch out of the berm and the engine would flatten off a little before hitting the mid-range and start pulling super strong again. This was much less evident on hard ground and through the trails, but noticeable enough in the sand to make mention. I suspect that the jetting could play a bit of a part here too – the downside of your bike not acclimatising itself to the conditions. This was only when I was trying to really hit the track at full speed – but again also not the kind of riding where I think this bike is designed to live.

4. Chassis

I found this bike more difficult to get dialled in compared to the Japanese brands. Perhaps because I have ridden the alloy frame for so long (it feels like second nature to me), or maybe it’s because this bike excels in a smaller operating window. I spent a lot of time playing with the handlebar position and the rear sag to try and find a good balance for me and my riding style. I ended up with the back end too high and the front wheel was knifing in the sand a lot. I tried to roll the bars back a bit and increase the sag on the rear and that made it better. I was reluctant to slide the forks through as I wanted to keep it stock as possible, but in hindsight I should have, as I understand some previous riders might have pushed the forks through to get it to turn better. It is always a guess as to what a bike should be standard when it’s a demo.

I settled on a configuration that I was comfortable on the track with and that gave me more confidence with how the bike was going to reach in different situations. I would have loved to have been able to spend a good coupe months on this bike to really appreciates how good this bike is, which shows when you look at how it performs across the world. But now it is 2024, guess I need to get the latest model instead eh guys?

Having Said All That

I thoroughly enjoyed riding the 2023 SHERCO 300 SE in the conditions and terrain that I believe it was intended for. It’s a super-fun bike to play around on, nails the trails with ease and can tackle any hard-Enduro type terrain like a mountain goat. It would take some tweaking if I personally wanted to race this bike in the XC realm when high speeds are the name of the game – others may be at home here. But this is a bike that will go anywhere, conquer anything, make riding and messing around real fun, and gift you with a real riding experience that you used to love when owning a 2-Stroke. And I mean – it does look bloody good! There is just something about being different to all the other 300s out there, right.

REVIEW: 2023 SHERCO 300 SE

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